Goal:
Watch as many Russian* (including Soviet) films as possible in the month of March январь in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eighteen Nineteen!

Rules:

- A feature film (Anything over 40 minutes) counts as one entry
- A total of 60 minutes of short films count as one entry
- For Mini-Series (40 minute episodes or longer) each episode counts as an entry.
- For Mini-Series with shorter episodes (25 minutes or so), the 60 minute rule applies.
- "Regularly occurring" television programs ineligible, i.e.; only Mini-Series/Limited Series/One-Offs/Made-for-TV films, &c.
- Soviet era films from the various Republics eligible.
- Post-Soviet era films from former Republics are ineligible.
- Rewatches allowed.

I don't think the 2019 challenge rules and ideas discussion thread ever came to any consensus (no polls, what!) so I went with option f. host decides regarding tv. but there wasn't an issue in last year's challenge so hopefully there isn't one this time around. but basically, you can't count things like russian snooker broadcasts or that farmer dating reality show for the challenge.

I don't think the 2019 challenge rules and ideas discussion thread ever came to any consensus (no polls, what!) so I went with option f. host decides regarding tv.

The consensus was that a poll was not wanted on the issue, with indeed Option F considered as the logical way forward.

I'm going to have to make a judgment call myself when it comes to hosting the Rosenbaum Challenge (assuming nobody else comes forward and says that they are desperate to host it). With The Wire and Borgen both in the Essentials list, I'm tempted to go with 2 episodes = 1 point to create a more level playing field than a single episode (more than 40 but less than 60 minutes) being worth 1 point. Might also add this issue to the Future Challenges thread in case anybody has further feedback/suggestions on the issue.

Oh, and for what it's worth, I'm planning to watch some of the TV stuff on the two Official Russian lists, all of which I think counts as miniseries (unless I'm mistaken).

yeah while I usually fall on the more lenient side of things tv-wise, I do think an effort should be made in challenges to tend towards viewing more filmic things. I don't want people leaving a russian equivalent tmz stream running all day and racking up 16 points of tabloid news or badger wrestling or tennis analysis. or whatever. yaknowwhatimean?

so I end up putting something that sounds strict in the OP, but if you (general/plural, not specifically just sol) have any questions, just ask. that's what a host is for, or else it'd all be automated. helpful but in a slightly dictatorial manner.

I only have a couple of unwatched Russian films on my current watch list as I have been squeezing in a few at a time for the past several months. On the other hand I do have a TV miniseries 17 Moments of Spring) that I have been told is outstanding and been meaning to watch for a while.

Combining the mysteries of deep space with themes of grief, loneliness and what it means to be human, Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris is a riveting watch. It is very deliberately paced, yet has seldom a boring moment as Tarkovsky makes his film about mood, tension and uncertainty as opposed to the thrills and chills. The film also benefits from a memorable melancholy ending that highlights just how vulnerable we as human beings are due to our inability to control our own thoughts.

ahhh! you beat me to it! Pesky 'stralian time-shifting. and a triple right off the bat!

I plan to kick off my challenge viewings with The Irony of Fate after midnight.

Not midnight at your end of the world yet? It's already early Tuesday afternoon here. I would have liked to have posted about Solaris even earlier. I started watching it after my guests left on New Year's Eve, but only got 49 minutes in before I felt too sleepy and went to bed. Finished it off today after minimal sleep, something that definitely adds to the film. It's a movie that works best when you're tired and your mind can wander, much like the characters in the film who start to question their reality.

It's not even close to midnight. I do plan on rewatching Solaris some time this month. Got that shiny new french Potemkin remaster. and if I really feel Tarkovsky-crazy this month I'll watch the workprint of it as well.

It's not even close to midnight. I do plan on rewatching Solaris some time this month. Got that shiny new french Potemkin remaster. and if I really feel Tarkovsky-crazy this month I'll watch the workprint of it as well.

It's not even close to midnight. I do plan on rewatching Solaris some time this month. Got that shiny new french Potemkin remaster. and if I really feel Tarkovsky-crazy this month I'll watch the workprint of it as well.

What's this about a Potempkin remaster?

I now realize that's a confusing statement. Potemkin is the name of a boutique label in France. Earlier this year/last year (time-zone dependent) they released the new remaster of Solaris on bluray. It's significantly better than the one Criterion put out in 2011.

Produced for Soviet television, this black and white version of Lem's tale has really cheap special effects, but the set design is quite innovative and the filmmakers frequently use shadows and dark lighting to excellent effect - in particular the way shadows cross over the wife's face upon sudden appearance (see above). The conclusion here is less powerful than in the other two versions and the on/off nature of Kelvin's voiceover narration always seems a little weird. On the other hand, having him narrate his thoughts aloud leads to some interesting streams of consciousness rants.

1. Operation 'Y' and Other Shurik's Adventures (Gaidai, 1965). Well, since we can't watch farmer dating shows, we'll have to resort to the next best thing, Soviet Comedies. This was better than most of the ones I've seen - but still not really anything special. Amusing most of the time, but not actually enough to lift it into funny territory.

With lengthy, lethargic shots of Russia's cold exteriors, director Andrey Zvyagintsev establishes much bleakness here from early on, and after a powerful moment in which we suddenly realise that the son has eavesdropped on a fight, his choice to flee is always understandable. The film is more about his parents though who are a little too narcissistic and self-absorbed to like (perhaps the point but still). The film has lots and lots of explicit sexual scenes and much bickering in the lead-up to the search, but the search itself is at least pretty intense.

Charming comedy about a summer camp for kids and the director's arbitrary rules to protect them from questionable dangers, which also serves as a metaphor of USSR and its political system. Camera placement and composition, especially filming crowds, are very inventive and perfectly capturing the contrast between forced discipline and freedom at reach. This is "only" Klimov final graduation work at Moscow's FIlm School but an impressive piece of work nonetheless. And funny.

Koo? Ku! This Soviet sci-fi film certainly gets to a promising start with a bouncy music score and much zaniness in the crafts that the aliens travel in, as well as their linguistic difficulties. Things get less interesting though as they manage to communicate in Russian and the novelty of the premise soon evaporates with many repetitive scenes of them traversing the planet's deserts in search of supplies to return home. The film is seldom short on imagination though, and from ferris wheel alien homes to bizarre singing rituals, there is lots to like here even if it runs a little long.

A weird monk lives in a monastery in the north of Russia. While his fellow monks don't understand him, lay people keep coming to visit him, as they think he is able to heal people. As far as film quality, this was quite good. Some great scenery shots and good pacing for the story. I just didn't care about it - I always struggle to get into pro-religious films (e.g., Andrei Rublev), and this was no different.

Based on a short story by Stanislaw Lem, as per Solaris and Ikarie XB-1, this film is at its best when exploring the central mystery (who on the crew is a human/android) and deep space uncertainties. As various crew members begin to confess their identity to the pilot, he has to weigh up both their testimonies as well as the evidence that they collected on others, playing sleuth. There is some great dialogue in the mix too ("it's better to be a machine than not exist at all") and eerie sets. The special effects vary in quality though.

And the music in the film is pretty decent at that. I don't think I would have ever heard of the film either were it not for my own fascination with Stanislaw Lem and interest in seeing as many film adaptation as I can. I would recommend the film if you're interested in Lem. There's also some novelty value in the film being a Soviet Estonian production, though The Dead Mountaineer's Hotel is probably my favourite film from that period in Estonia's film history.